Adapter for portable motor driven floor maintaining machines



Dec. 31, 1963 D. 1.. HUNT 5,

ADAPTER FOR PORTABLE MOTOR DRIVEN FLOOR MAINTAINING MACHINES Filed July 9, 1962 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. O O O W John .0 .//u/Yr ArrM/vsr Dec. 31, 1963 D. HUNT 3,115,660

ADAPTER FOR PORTABLE MOTOR DRIVEN FLOOR MAINTAINING MACHINES Filed July 9, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,115,660 ADAPTER FOR PORTABLE MOTOR DRIVEN FLOOR MAINTAINING MACHINES Donald L. Hunt, 1115 N. Arcadia, Colorado Springs, Colo. Filed July 9, 1962, Ser. No. 208,248 3 Claims. (Cl. -230) This invention relates to an adapter for portable motor driven floor maintaining machines. Such machines are provided with a circular brush which rests flat upon the floor and is rotated by a motor the weight of which rests upon the brush. Such machines are used for polishing, scrubbing, shampooing and buffing floors and floor coverings.

While the conventional brush is used for the majority of work accessory floor maintenance pads such as steel Wool pads, scrubbing pads, etc., are often desirable. Such accessory equipment usually is mounted on wood or metal discs which require removal of the brush and replacement of the latter with the accessory equipment. This increases the cost of the various accessories and results in lost time due to the replacement labor required. Attempts have been made to rotate the accessories from the brush by resting the latter directly thereon. These attempts have not been satisfactory as the brush bristles do not have suflicient gripping power on the accessory to effectively drive and maintain the accessory centered under the brush.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive and highly efficient adapter for driving floor maintenance pads directly from the brush of a maintenance machine without slippage which will be held in place by gravity between the brush and the pad so as to require no installation or replacement labor of any kind.

Attempts have been made to provide pad drivers consisting of round discs designed to replace the conventional brush, the discs being provided on their bottom surfaces with steel pins, or tufts or with sponge rubber which can be rested on the accessory pads to drive the latter. These pad drivers are usually more expensive than the brushes themselves and greatly increase the weight to be transported by the operator and all require replacement labor and time.

Another object of this invention is to provide a simple, unitary plastic adapter which will be light in weight and low in cost and which will provide a direct drive between the brush and the desired accessory or pad without removal of the brush.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efiiciency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Likewise numerals refer to the like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout the description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numerals refer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout the description.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the improved adapter;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view thereof; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating how the adapter is used to applying an accessory pad to the brush of a conventional floor maintenance machine.

In FIG. 4 a floor maintenance machine of a type to which this invention applies is shown at 12 with its supporting wheels at 13 and handle at 14. The conventional floor brush referred to above is shown at 15, and an accessory pad to be driven by the machine 12 is illustrated at 16.

The invention comprises a unitary one piece molding or casting preferably formed from an extruded plastic resin of a type to withstand rough usage. It could be cast from aluminum, magnesium or other light weight metal.

It is in the form of a relatively thin rigid circular disc 17 of a diameter approximately conforming to the diameter of the conventional machine brush 15. A plurality of spines 18 are molded on the upper surface of the disc 1'7 and a plurality of extrusions or studs 19 are molded on the lower surface thereof.

To install the pad for use, the disc 17 is concentrically positioned on the accessory pad 16. The machine 12 is tilted back as shown in FIG. 4 to position the brush 15 over the disc 17 The handle 14 is then carefully raised to lower the brush 15 concentrically over the disc 17. The weight of the machine then forces the spines 18 into the brush 15 and similarly forces the studs 19 into the pad 16.

The spines 18 are similar in shape and size and each is shaped to provide two relatively wide, parallel flat sides and two relatively narrow, inwardly tapered edges terminating in a chisel-like pointed upper extremity. The spines are arranged in rows with the fiat sides of diagonally adjacent spines lying in vertical planes at right angles to each other, as shown in FIG. 1. Since the spines are relatively thin, they pass readily between the bristle tufts of the brush and since the flat sides of half of the spines are positioned at right angles to the fiat sides of the other half of the spines, they resist movement in any direction in the brush 15 when the latter is rested thereon.

The studs 19 are relatively short and circular crosssection so that they readily indent into conventional circular steel wool pads, rolled felt pads, and the like and provide a secure, non-slip connection therewith under the weight of the machine 12.

It can be seen from the above that a secure connection is made between the machine and an accessory pad by simply resting the adapter on the pad and resting the brush upon the adapter. All interchange labor and the cost and weight of attachable holders is entirely eliminated.

Since the central portion of the disc 17 exerts very little or no torque upon the pad 16, it is preferred to leave it open as indicated at 20. This not only lightens the weight but also provides a convenient opening for convenient hanging of the discs when not in use.

While a specific form of the invention has been described and illustrated herein, it is to be understood that the same may be varied within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An adapter for rotating a pad from the rotary brush of a floor maintenance machine comprising: a circular disc having a diameter substantially conforming to the diameter of said brush; a plurality of spaced-apart spines projecting upwardly from the upper surface of said disc so as to enter between the bristles of said brush when the latter is concentrically rested upon said disc to cause said disc to rotate with said brush, said spines being uniform in shape, each being relatively thin with two flat sides and two inclined edges, said edges approaching each other to form a relatively pointed upper extremity, the flat sides of some of said spines being positioned on said disc at substantially right angles to the flat sides of the re mainder of said spines to increase the rotational resistance between said spines and the bristles of said brush; and a plurality of spaced-apart studs projecting downwardly from the lower surface of said disc so as to engage in the upper surface, the spines in each row facing in the same direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Painter Aug. 11, 1914 Henry et a1 May 26, 1942 Miller Oct. 24, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS Switzerland Nov. 16, 1933 Great Britain Sept. 7, 1934 

1. AN ADAPTER FOR ROTATING A PAD FROM THE ROTARY BRUSH OF A FLOOR MAINTENACE MACHINE COMPRISING: A CIRCULAR DISC HAVING A DIAMETER SUBSTANTIALLY CONFORMING TO THE DIAMETER OF SAID BRUSH; A PLURALITY OF SPACED-APART SPINES PROJECTING UPWARDLY FROM THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID DISC SO AS TO ENTER BETWEEN THE BRISTLES OF SAID BRUSH WHEN THE LATTER IS CONCENTRICALLY RESTED UPON SAID DISC TO CAUSE SAID DISC TO ROTATE WITH SAID BRUSH, SAID SPINES BEING UNIFORM IN SHAPE, EACH BEING RELATIVELY THIN WITH TWO FLAT SIDES AND TWO INCLINED EDGES, SAID EDGES APPROACHING EACH OTHER TO FORM A RELATIVELY POINTED UPPER EXTREMITY, THE FLAT SIDES OF SOME OF SAID SPINES BEING POSITIONED ON SAID DISC AT SUBSTANTIALLY RIGHT ANGLES TO THE FLAT SIDES OF THE REMAINDER OF SAID SPINES TO INCREASE THE ROTATIONAL RESISTANCE BETWEEN SAID SPINES AND THE BRISTLES OF SAID BRUSH; AND A PLURALITY OF SPACED-APART STUDS PROJECTING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE LOWER SURFACE OF SAID DISC SO AS TO ENGAGE IN THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID PAD WHEN SAID DISC IS RESTED THEREON TO CAUSE THE PAD TO ROTATE IN UNISON WITH SAID DISC. 